A man who punched his friend and stole alcohol from Ipswich shops 14 times has avoided jail after magistrates ordered him to undergo treatment for his drinking problem.
Fortune Musiwa, 31, of All Saints Street, Ipswich, appeared before Suffolk Magistrates' Court for sentence after admitting 14 shop thefts, one count of assault by beating, and failing to surrender to bail.
Details of the assault were heard in court.
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Musiwa and the complainant had become friends while living in the same homeless shelter.
At a later date, in the complainant's home, an argument broke out after Musiwa tried to drink from his cup.
The court heard Musiwa then "sucker-punched" the complainant on the left side of the jaw before pulling him into a corner of the kitchen. The drink which started the disagreement was spilled during the altercation.
During the incident he told the victim: "F*** you, you're not my friend, you made me do it."
Musiwa's offending also included a string of alcohol thefts from a Tesco, Tesco Express and Co-op in Ipswich between April and July this year.
Several offences involved repeated visits to the same store on the same day, with £65 worth of alcohol stolen from the Co-op in Austin Street on July 10 alone.
The prosecutor said Musiwa had 38 previous offences, many of them for theft.
Defending, his solicitor said: "My client did see red, he did punch the complainant."
The court heard Musiwa drinks six beers a day, including one before breakfast, and a request was made by his solicitor for an alcohol treatment requirement to address the root cause of his offending.
Sentencing, magistrates told Musiwa: "You have pleaded guilty to 14 shop thefts, one assault and a fail to surrender. This does cross the custody threshold."
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However, they noted he was reducing his alcohol consumption and imposed a 12-month community order with a nine-month alcohol treatment requirement and 10 rehabilitation days.
Musiwa was ordered to pay £218 compensation to the stores and £50 to the complainant.
The £268 total will be deducted from his benefits. No separate penalty was imposed for the bail offence.
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